Over 99% aspirants failed to clear the Central Teacher Eligibility Test 2012.

Updated on: Wednesday, January 02, 2013

In an alarming indictment of the quality of training given to prospective school teachers, over 99% aspirants failed to clear the Central Teacher Eligibility Test (CTET) 2012.

The results of the competency test conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), declared on December 27, 2012, showed that less than 1% of the 7.95 lakh who appeared managed to clear the exam. In fact, since the exam was introduced in 2011, the pass percentage has been consistently declining. Educationists described the situation as alarming and "a wake up call for the quality of BEd degree being granted in the country."

The CTET was introduced in 2011 by the human resource development ministry to improve the quality of teaching in schools after the enactment of the Right to Education Act. CTET certification has been made mandatory to become a teacher for classes I to VIII in any central government school, while CBSE-affiliated schools can either recruit teachers based on CTET or the respective test conducted by states. In fact, the Delhi government too decided to adopt CTET for recruitment of teachers for government-run and aided schools. All CTET applicants need to be BEd graduates.

About 9.40 lakh aspirants registered for the test, conducted in November 2012. Some 7.96 lakh finally appeared for the test, of which only 4,849 managed to clear either Paper I or II or both. Clearing Paper I is mandatory for those wishing to teach classes I to V while Paper 2 is for those wishing to teach classes VI to VIII. Aspirants who wish to get certified for classes I to VIII need to clear both the papers.

The papers feature objective questions which test the aspirants' knowledge of English, mathematics and environmental science.

While the first CTET, conducted in 2011, recorded a pass percentage of around 9%, the figure declined to around 7% in the subsequent test, held on January 2012.

Terming the results as alarming, Anita Rampal, former dean of Delhi University's faculty of education, said: "Assuming that the nature of the questions are good and adequately challenging, then certainly this is a concern. The question is what the students are learning in BEd? And I am not surprised as we know how these degrees (BEd) are being awarded."

Another reason for the poor pass percentage, according to Rampal, "could be that many of our students (of BEd) are from Hindi medium."

In fact after the 2011 dismal show, MHRD has asked CBSE to analyse the results institution wise and provide feedbacks to teacher education institutions so that they can improve on their teaching and training.

Over 99% aspirants failed to clear the Central Teacher Eligibility Test 2012.

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